This Is New
by Pratt Falls
Summary: Short story about what happens at the end of Season Four between Gail and Holly. Just romance and stuff, Peck style.
1. Chapter 1

"Come on, Gail. Let me take you home." Holly gently pulls Gail to her feet and leads her toward the exit. Gail looks at Steve and Chris: "Text me if there's any news, yah?" Steve nods his head. "Of course. Get some rest, ok?"

Gail follows Holly without resistance. She is so tired and so emotionally drained she can barely function. "Here we go." Holly opens the passenger side of her car and waits for Gail to get in. "Wait, where are we going?" Gail is confused. "I'm taking you home." Holly reminds her. All Gail can muster is a feeble, "Oh." She gets into the car and puts on the seatbelt. Once Holly is in and starts the engine, Gail says: "I don't want to go home."

"OK. ... Where do you want to go?"

"I don't know. Not home. I just -... I don't know... I don't want to be alone, y'know?" Gail doesn't look at Holly as she says this. She hangs her head and stares at her hands, then out the window.

"Ok" Holly says slowly, considering what she should or should not suggest at this juncture.

"I'm sorry. Am I being a pain in the ass?" Gail asks.

"No. No! Do you want to... I mean, I could hang out with you for a while, til Chris gets back or ... I don't know..." Holly takes a deep breath. "We could go to my place...?" The question hangs in the frigid late night air while Gail's brain processes the offer.

"OK" is all she says.

"OK, then." Holly puts the car in drive and turns left out of the Hospital parking lot on the way to her condo. They ride in silence, Gail staring blankly out the window. Holly tries to look at her discretely whenever they come to a stop. She wants to get a sense of how Gail is holding up, but doesn't want to get caught doing it.

She looks like a different person, Holly realizes. Gone is the confident, brash, full of herself cop from this afternoon. The hours waiting at the hospital, going crazy with worry and guilt and trying not to cry have left Gail looking fragile and depleted.

"Here we are." Holly states as she steers her car into the parking lot of her building. Gail nods her head but doesn't move when Holly stops the car and turns off the engine.

"Gail? Are you ok? Did you change your mind?"

"What? No. Sorry. " She releases her seatbelt. "This is really nice of you, Holly. Thank you. "

Holly smiles. "It's ok. Really."

* * *

Gail stands with her hands in the pockets of her jacket, unsure of what she should do. She looks around Holly's condo and tries to assess what she can learn from the decor. But her brain is too fried. She can only think about how tired she is, emotionally and physically. Every time she starts to think about what all has happened that day, from Chloe being shot, to coming under fire herself, to kissing Holly, to Oliver being abducted, to Sam - - her throat tightens, and her breathing becomes shallow. She squeezes her eyes shut and wills herself to be calm.

Holly re-enters the living room carrying towels and pajamas. "It's ok to take off your coat, y'know. I turned up the heat. It'll be warm in here very soon." Gail doesn't respond, she lifts her head and just absently stares in Holly's direction. "Gail, seriously? Are you okay?"

Gail nods her head, focuses her eyes and offers Holly a weak smile. "Well," she says removing her jacket, " … I'm kind of a mess."

"It's ok." Holly reassures her. "You've earned it. Here, do you want to change?" She takes Gail's coat, hands her a makeshift set of pajamas and points to the hallway. "The bathroom is on the left. Can I make you a cup of tea, or something?"

"_Or Something_, sounds good. Do you have any whisky?"

"I do," says Holly, "but you're not getting any of it." Gail gives her a puzzled look. "Contrary to popular belief, alcohol does not help you sleep. It actually disrupts normal sleep patterns and can -"

Gail cuts her off. "Really? C'mon Holl ..."

Holly laughs, but Gail is serious. "I want to go home," she says petulantly.

"Too bad. You're here now, and you're stuck with me. Go take a shower," Holly gently pushes Gail towards the bathroom. "Do you like milk with your tea?"

"I like whisky with my tea." Gail says as she slowly shuffles down the hall. "Only without the tea."

"Duly noted." Holly nods her head, adjusts her glasses, and files this info away. It's not like she didn't already know Gail was a big drinker, now she sees Gail probably abuses alcohol. Not uncommon for a cop. Still, not a trait Holly is fond of. "_What am I doing?_" Holly wonders. "_Why the hell have I let myself fall for a hard drinking, straight cop?"_ She sighs and puts the kettle on. "_I have lost my mind."_

* * *

"Feel better?" Holly asks as Gail approaches the couch. "Shall I pour you a cup of tea, or no?"

"Sure. Your shower is amazing."

"Really? Why is that?" Holly asks as she hands Gail a warm cup of Sleepytime chamomile tea.

"Well, we have zero water pressure at the apartment. I mean, you could spit on yourself harder than what you get out of our shower. It's pathetic. And your water is hot."

"Ah … so now are you glad again that you came here instead of going home?"

Gail offers up half of a smile and drinks her tea. "Yah."

"Well, you're talking in complete sentences again. So … that's a good sign. How's the tea? Do you like it?"

"No." Gail says plainly. But she keeps on sipping and steals a glance at Holly who is shaking her head and trying to stifle a laugh. "Holly?"

"Yes?"

There is a long pause while Gail tries to decide how to proceed. "Why are you so nice to me? I mean, I'm not a very nice person, so ... I don't deserve … this … you … I …" Tears start to bubble up from god knows where. Gail had not meant to get sentimental or emotional, she is just too exhausted to keep any defenses up. Gail puts down her tea cup and buries her face in her hands, sobbing.

"Hey," Holly shifts from her end of the sofa til she is next to Gail, pulling her close. She's been expecting this. She knows Gail tries to contain her emotions as much as possible, but today has been exceptional. On many levels. "Stop beating yourself up. I'm nice to you because I like you."

"I don't deserve you." Gail sobs.

"Well, you've got me, so …" Holly strokes Gail's hair and pats her back trying to calm her down. Finally she says, "C'mon. Let's get you to bed." Holly leads her to the bedroom and pulls down the covers. Gail has almost regained her composure and wipes away her tears with the back of her hand. "This is so embarrassing. I don't usually -"

"You don't have to apologize for being human. Here." Holly hands her a box of tissues. "Where did you leave your phone? You're going to want that, right?"

"In my jacket, I think."

Holly leaves to retrieve the phone and Gail is thankful she has the opportunity to blow her nose unselfconsciously. She sits perched on the edge of the bed and looks around Holly's bedroom. It is warm and comfortable and Gail feels oddly at ease there. She looks at a framed picture on the wall, obviously a family photo from years ago. Holly looks to be about 13, tall, lanky and super skinny. She looks awkward and self conscious, which Gail thinks is adorable since now Holly is the very embodiment of composure and self assurance and grace.

Holly returns, hands Gail her phone and commands her simply, "Lay down."

"Are you – ?" Gail looks up at Holly and awkwardly gesticulates towards the other side of the bed.

"I'm going to change and, then, yah - I'm going to -" Holly mimics Gail's hand movement and laughs as she heads for the bathroom, turning off the lights as she goes.

_"Oh my god. What am I doing?"_ Gail wonders. She half considers grabbing her clothes and calling a cab, but she knows that is insane, so she slides under the covers and bunches up the pillow and rests her head, waiting for Holly to return.

Either Holly is purposefully taking a ridiculously long time in the bathroom or Gail really is exhausted beyond all telling. She checks her phone again for messages and thinks about checking her weather app, but she can't keep her eyes open and the warmth and softness of Holly's bed is making it impossible for Gail to stay awake.

* * *

When Holly returns Gail is already asleep. Just as she hoped. Holly takes Gail's phone out of her hand and places it on the bedside table then goes to the other side of the bed and as gently as possible gets in. She takes off her glasses and pulls the covers up to her neck as she tries to get comfortable. She looks at Gail. Holly spent so many nights convincing herself she and Gail would never be a thing that she can't quite believe what happened today. She resists the urge to curl up next to Gail and spoon her. But she does reach over and adjust the blankets so they cover her shoulders.

Gail rolls over, her eyes briefly flutter open then close again. "Holly?" she whispers.

"Yah, I'm here. You're ok. Go back to sleep."

"Mmmhmm" Gail mumbles as she yawns and stretches, arching her back like a cat and in the process moving closer to Holly. Much closer.

"Ohhhh … kay" Holly is not prepared for this. Gail has planted herself solidly beside Holly, curling up next to her as if they had slept together for years. Twice in a 24 hour period Gail Peck has surprised Holly in a way she never anticipated. Gail often catches Holly off guard with her unique perspective on life. But always Holly realizes whatever thing Gail has done to give her pause, well, it's odd, but the behavior is quintessential Gail. Irreverent, sometimes condescending, observant, unfiltered … and Holly knows how to handle _that_ Gail.

Impetuous, affectionate, vulnerable, cuddly Gail – this is new.

* * *

The sound of a barking dog wakes Holly. She's confused because she has no idea where the sound is coming from. It doesn't seem quite real. Probably because it's not real. It's Gail's phone signalling her that she has received a text from Chris. Holly squints into the darkness and slowly registers what's happening. What's happening is, it's very early in the morning, and Gail Peck is in Holly's bed. Gail is not only in her bed, which is odd enough, but Gail is sound asleep on top of her. It all comes rushing back. Holly realizes she should look at the text to see if it's something important. Important enough that she might need to wake up Gail. Getting to the phone without waking Gail up will be a trick. But as Holly stretches her arm towards the bedside table Gail remains essentially comatose. Holly grabs the phone and tries holding it at varying distances trying to read it without her glasses. _"Picku up 2 hrs. Wuts H 's adddress?"_

Holly considers her options and decides to just text Chris her address without any other comment but "Thx". She works on extracting herself from Gail and making her way to the kitchen. She plans on getting breakfast started, then waking Gail. After the coffee starts brewing and she's made the pancake batter she returns to the bedroom to find Gail still fast asleep.

Holly sits beside Gail and whispers in her ear. "Gail? C'mon sleepy-head, it's time to wake up." She gently squeezes Gail's shoulder. "Hey Sleeping Beauty … Do you want coffee?" Gail moans and buries her face in the pillow. "Go away." she mumbles. Holly laughs and shakes her a little more forcefully. "Good morning to you, too, Sunshine."

"Why are you torturing me?" Gail growls.

"Because Chris is going to be here in an hour and you need to get up. So do you want cream in your coffee, or sugar, or both or nothing? What? Tell me." Holly keeps on nudging Gail who keeps on trying to burrow deeper and deeper under the covers.

Gail relents and rolls over to look at Holly. "Oh," she sighs. "It's you." Gail rubs her eyes and smiles at Holly with a face so innocent and open she looks like a little child. "I like you." Holly is almost as flabbergasted by this sweet, sleepy version of Gail as she was at Gail kissing her in the interrogation room. She smiles back. "I like you, too. Now get out of my bed."

"Un unh." Gail says grabbing fistfuls of Holly's shirt and pulling her down for a kiss.

Every fiber of Holly's being wants to attack Gail and commence with mad hot monkey sex, but the part of Holly that is a responsible, intelligent adult knows this is not a good idea, for several reasons. She mentally outlines those reasons while physically trying to minimize the impact of Gail's insistent kissing. "THINK" Holly commands her brain, which immediately kicks into high gear: 1) Chris's arrival is imminent. 2) Gail is probably still effectively sleep deprived and thus may not be coherent and rational and consequently not able to voluntarily engage in consensual sex. 3) Holly herself is too freaked out by the entire chain of events over the past 24 hours to properly analyze the situation she now finds herself in. And so, Holly, while initially inclined to return the kiss with equal enthusiasm, begins to purposefully extract herself from Gail's clutches and commences to panic.

"Jesus, Gail" she pants. Holly adjusts her glasses. She knows her face must be beet red because she feels flushed and her heart is racing and her pulse is pounding and she really needs to get off that bed. Stat! Holly quickly stands up and tries to compose herself. She fails. She fidgets and shuffles and stutters and finally blurts out: "Cream or sugar? It's an easy question!" Then she walks out without waiting for Gail's reply.

"Just milk." Gail says. To nobody.

* * *

Gail peaks her head inside the kitchen and asks: "Is it safe to come in?"

Holly looks up from her coffee and blushes. "Yes. Sorry about that. I, uh … yah ..." she adjusts her glasses and bites her lower lip.

"Well, I'm awake now and probably safe to be around." Gail says matter of factly. "Mostly."

"I made pancakes." Holly gets up and moves to the stove. "Do you want some? Do you like pancakes? I never met anyone who didn't like pancakes. I mean, really? Who doesn't like pancakes? Right?"

"Calm down, Holl. I like pancakes." Gail is slightly bemused and maybe even a little annoyed at this new side of Holly. She doesn't know how to respond to Insecure Holly. This is new.

Holly takes a deep breath. "Sorry. I … Can I be honest?" She puts down the pancake batter and looks at Gail.

"Yes." Gail says it so slowly it's kind of obvious she isn't really sure 'yes' is what she wanted to say. Truth is she really doesn't want Holly to be honest right now. But she doesn't know how to get out of this situation without doing something offensive or insensitive or just plain stupid, and Holly doesn't deserve that. So she sucks it up and waits for Holly to continue.

"I like you. And I like kissing you. And maybe when … , I mean, like, when things get back to normal at 15, y'know … Maybe you'll still be interested in … the kissing … or something, … and … " Holly pushes her glasses out of the way so she can rub her eyes. She takes a deep breath. "I'm not being very articulate. I'm sorry."

"It's ok," Gail says moving towards her. "After you said '_I like kissing you'_ - I stopped listening."

This makes Holly laugh. "You are completely incorrigible!"

"I don't know what that is. Should I be offended?"

"No," says Holly.

"Ok then. I'm going to kiss you again."

Gail puts her hands on Holly's hips and pulls her close. She kisses her slowly and softly and she doesn't stop kissing Holly until her back pocket starts barking.

"Damn," she pulls away but doesn't let go of Holly. "Chris is here. Can I get a rain-check on the pancakes?"

"Anytime."

Gail moves to the living room to get her coat and heads for the door. She stops and turns to Holly before leaving. "Thanks again. Call you later?"

"Ok" Holly is fidgeting endlessly with her shirt.

Gail looks at her quizzically. "Are you going to be alright?"

"Yah." Holly says as she shakes her head 'no' and adjusts her posture and realizes that she has tried to sound nonchalant but has failed miserably.

"Shouldn't I be the one freaking out about this?" Gail asks.

"I Am Not Freaking Out!" Holly says a little too forcefully.

"Ok, except, you totally are." Gail smiles like she has won a huge prize. She has managed to topple Holly's very well maintained sense of equilibrium and control. And she likes it and Gail can't help pointing it out. "You're freaking out, Holly. You're freaking out and I'm not." She ponders that for a moment and adds: "Well, this is new."

Chris' car horn shatters the moment and Gail reaches for the doorknob and as she leaves shouts: "I'll call you later. Bye."

Holly stares at the spot Gail just vacated and says to no one. "This _is_ new."

* * *

to be continued ...


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO / Later that day ...

* * *

Holly's phone pings. A message from Gail.

_Where are you?! &^$# %&*_

Holly texts back: _In the lab, where are you?_

Gail lets out a groan and kicks her foot against Holly's front door.

_STAY PUT_

Holly replies: _OK …. why?_

Gail storms back down to her police cruiser and seriously considers using lights and sirens as she speeds off back in the direction from which she just came.

Holly watches her phone for a moment, waiting for Gail's reply but it never comes so she continues with the task at hand. Sometimes it just doesn't pay to try to second guess Gail Peck. Holly checks her reflection in a mirror and sighs. The 4 hours of sleep she got last night did not make for a good look today. She pulls her hair loose then decides to put it back into a ponytail. Gail has seen her looking much worse and it's not like Gail is going to be in any better shape than Holly, all things considered.

Holly sits down at her laptop and starts making notes for the next staff meeting. Her boss has asked everyone to make a list of things they want to add to next year's budget. She stares off into space, seriously distracted by thoughts of the morning she's had. She shakes it off and forces herself to think about what she wants. She begins typing:

1) More Interns  
2) Software upgrades  
3) New coffee maker in break room  
4) Gail's lips.

_Wait, what? _She drops her head in her hands. What is she going to do about Gail? Holly feels her throat constrict. Everything about Gail over the past 24 hours has made her feel like she's been turned inside out, upside down, flipped, tripped, bagged, tagged and dumped out on a garbage heap of every insecure feeling she'd ever had in her entire life. When she conjured a totally bogus excuse to go check on Gail yesterday she knew she was being weird. She knew she was letting irrational emotions get the best of her, but she did it anyway. She may be a well trained scientist who is known for being thorough in her work, methodical in her procedures, logical in making her conclusions and unflappable in her demeanor. But never in the years and years of advanced university study did anything prepare her for Gail Peck.

"Why are you here?" Gail asks in a frankly accusatory tone as she appears in the doorway of the lab.

"What?" Holly's head snaps up at the sound of Gail's voice. She gives Gail the side eye and asks just as snarkily, "So sorry. Where I am I supposed to be?"

"Home. You should be home. You're off today!" Gail approaches Holly with her typical swagger and drops a large white paper bag on her desk.

"Well, since I was away from the lab most of yesterday, and didn't accomplish much, I thought I would come in today and finish things up. Should I have checked with you first?"

Gail tilts her head and looks at Holly for a long moment. "Yah, that would have been nice. Would have saved me driving all the way to your apartment for nothing."

"What's in the bag, officer? Please tell me you weren't delivering a severed head or disfigured appendage to my home in the hopes of a personal consultation."

"No, nerd. I brought you lunch." Gail shifts her feet and sighs. "I mean, you were nice enough to make me pancakes and … stuff. So … y'know."

Holly bites her lower lip and adjusts her glasses. "As I recall, you didn't actually eat any pancakes."

"No, but not because I didn't want to. I wanted to. So … yah."

"What did you bring me?" Holly asks.

"Pad Thai. There's this awesome Cambodian place Oliver takes me to sometimes in an incredibly shitty part of town. We happened to have a call down near there so …"

Holly smiles. "Thank you. That's very sweet. Are you going to stay and eat with me?"

"Well, that was the plan, but since you weren't at your apartment like you should have been I now don't have time to eat with you." Gail thrusts her hands deep into her pants pockets.

"Sorry."

"It's ok. You can make it up to me later." Gail gives Holly a mischievous grin.

"Is that right?" Holly tries to sound as playful as Gail but doesn't quite pull it off. "What is that going to cost me?"

"I don't know yet." Gail walks around the desk and leans towards Holly who pushes herself as far back in her chair as she possibly can without making it tip over. "But I'll make sure it's good." Gail notices Holly's hand reaching out towards her laptop trying awkwardly to delete something.

Gail takes a quick look at the screen and stifles a laugh. "What's that?" She asks.

Holly word vomits: "Nothing. A thing for work. A wish list thing. Stuff for a staff meeting. Just budgeting stuff."

Then Gail whispers in her ear, "Why are you still freaked out?" The warmth of Gail's breath, the scent of her hair and the warmth of her skin sends shivers down Holly's spine.

"I, I, - oh please, you wish!" she stutters as she pushes Gail away playfully. "I'm not freaked, at all. I don't know why you ..." Holly swallows hard as Gail giggles. She gently puts her hand on Holly's cheek and smiles.

"Gotta go." Gail says and she turns and walks out without another word. Holly doesn't even dare exhale for fear of doing exactly what she told Gail she wasn't doing. Freaking out.

Holly's phone pings.

_You have no idea how much #4 on your wish list is going to cost you!  
_

* * *

to be continued ...


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER 3 / The next day ...

* * *

Holly rolls over and stretches. Her arms push past the covers and she twists her torso right and left trying to loosen up her muscles. She turns towards the window and takes note of the bright sunshine. It will be cold today. Ah well, she thinks, at least there's no clouds, which means no snow! She groans in anticipation of looking at her phone. She's sure since it's so bright out that she's slept her entire Sunday morning away. She is pleasantly surprised when she sees that it isn't late at all. Part of her wants to snuggle back under the covers and let herself daydream. But she decides that letting herself fantasize about Gail is not going to help her figure out what the hell to do about Gail.

Holly picks up her phone and considers sending her a text. She is anxious to know how Gail is holding up. And she's interested to know if there is any news, good or bad, from the hospital. No, she thinks, I'll wait a while. She might still be sleeping.

Just as Holly throws off the covers and reaches for her robe her phone pings. A message from Gail.

GAIL: _Are you up? HelloOoOooOOooOoo_

HOLLY: _Good Morning. How are you? get any sleep last night?_

GAIL: _I m ok. Sleep? What is this sleep you speak of? Is it nice? Do normal people get sleep? Where can I buy some?_

HOLLY: _How much coffee have you had?!_

GAIL: _Why? Have there been reports of a coffee shortage? Are you going to turn me in to the Caffeine Police? I promise I didn't drink it ALL!_

HOLLY: _:D:D:D I promise not to rat you out._

GAIL: _THANKYOU. bffs 4evah_

HOLLY: _Where are you?_

GAIL: _At 15. took Chloe's shift._

HOLLY: _Sorry._

GAIL: _Yah :(_

HOLLY: _How is she? & Sam? & Oliver?_

GAIL: _Chloe Sam = same. Critical /stable. Oliver going home maybe today._

HOLLY: _That's good news! Stable is VG news. & Oliver going home is great news!_

GAIL: _Yep_

HOLLY: _R U ok?_

GAIL: _Yep_

HOLLY: _R U lying?_

GAIL: _Yep_

HOLLY: _Do you want to come over later?_

GAIL: _Yep_

HOLLY: _What time does ur shift end?_

GAIL: _4_

HOLLY: _Come over for dinner. I'll cook._

GAIL: _Pancakes!?_

HOLLY: _If that's what you want. :P_

GAIL: _shttt call you later gotta go_

* * *

There's a knock at the door and Holly makes a mental note that Gail has arrived at precisely 6pm. On the dot. She wonders if Gail actually arrived earlier but refused to announce her presence until the mutually agreed upon time. Holly opens the door to find Gail holding her jacket and wearing a loose fitting blue sweater over skin tight jeans. Holly notices that she looks really, really tired, and yet, still, somehow, insanely sexy.

"C'mon in" Holly smiles as she takes Gail's jacket and hangs it by the door. Gail doesn't say anything, but returns the smile. "How did you get here?" Holly asks.

"Chris dropped me off."

"Oh! You could have invited him up. There's enough food to feed an army. Do you want to call h-"

"What?" The smile disappears. "Why do you want Chris here? Are you afraid to be alone with me now?"

"Afraid? What do you mean?"

"Why would you want Chris to eat dinner with us?" Gail asks with more than a hint of disgust in her voice.

"I was trying to be nice." Holly says in measured tones. "It's this thing I do with people who are friendly. And who go out of their way to do nice things for their friends. Like give them rides to places." Holly tilts her head and waits for Gail's response. When she doesn't get one she continues, "I was just trying to be nice, Gail. Maybe you've heard of it?"

Gail scrunches up her face and growls. Then she drops her head and admits sheepishly, "I need a hug."

Holly shakes her head in disbelief and bites her lip. She pulls Gail into her arms and rubs her hands up and down Gail's back, then squeezes her tightly. "Shitty day?" she asks.

"The shittiest"

"I'm sorry. What can I do?"

"You're doing it." Gail sighs. She buries her face against Holly's neck and wills herself not to cry. She takes a deep breath and holds it. She mumbles "I'm an idiot," as she turns her head to rest against Holly's shoulder. "God, I feel like crying again, but I'm too tired."

Holly doesn't say anything. She just continues to hold Gail gently, but firmly.

Finally Gail lifts her head. "Damn, you smell good."

Holly laughs. "Thank you. I pride myself on my good hygiene." She playfully squeezes Gail just under her ribs."

"Hey!" she squirms, "no tickling!"

"Feel better?" Holly asks.

"Yah."

Holly gives Gail a small kiss on the cheek. "Hungry?"

"Mmmmmm... yah." Gail murmurs as she moves towards Holly's lips. But Holly pulls away and heads for the kitchen.

"Good! I made lotsa pasta!"

"Oh! ... _Hungry for food_? Yah, I guess." Gail gives Holly a look of exaggerated disappointment.

"You are insane."

"Thank you for reminding me. How come you forgot I'm allergic to tomatoes?"

"I didn't forget. It's pasta with pesto sauce." Holly starts pulling things from the refrigerator.

"Pesto? Is that like, the green stuff?" Gail asks.

"Yes."

"Is it hard to make?" Gail is intrigued.

"No. Didn't your mother teach you to cook?" Holly asks as she pulls plates and glasses from the cabinet.

"No." Gail reaches for the dishes and starts setting the table.

"Well ... if you don't like it, there's left over Pad Thai."

"I'll like it." Gail assures her.

"It's ok if you don't." Holly hands her silverware.

"I know." Gail nods her head.

"I made a salad too. Want some wine?"

"Of course."

"Want to tell me why your day was so shitty?"

"Not really."

"Ok." Holly tries to resist the urge to encourage Gail to open up. But she can't help asking - "Did Oliver get to go home today?"

"Yes. The one and only good thing that happened all day. Well, that, and you cooking for me." Gail smiles maniacally.

Holly turns and gives her a goofy smile. "Gail, don't be too excited. It's just pasta. All I had to do is boil water!"

Gail shrugs and Holly laughs. "Well, I hope you like it. Sit down. Dinner is served."

Holly spoons the penne with pesto on to Gail's plate and then some onto her own. She sets the pot back on the stove and hands Gail the salad bowl. Then she pulls a loaf of bread from the oven and Gail almost swoons.

"You baked bread?!" Gail is astounded.

"Yes - well, No, not really. I mean. I didn't _make_ it. I just baked it. You can buy unbaked bread at the supermarket ..."

Gail just looks at her wide eyed.

"Y'know. Those big stores were there are rows and rows of food and toothpaste and stuff? It's amazing, I'm surprised you've never seen one!"

Gail just laughs. "I think I know what you're talking about. You can buy beer there, right? And cheese puffs. They have good stuff. Not just food."

"Yes! You should check it out some time. You'll be impressed. Besides processed, imitation food made with hydrogenated corn oils and preservatives, there are actually these things that grow in the ground that are healthy to eat. They call them _veg-a-ta-bles_. So yummy!"

Gail giggles at Holly's ridiculous tirade and tells her: "Ok. Well thank you for the information. And for helping me understand the term "_adorkable_."

Holly playfully kicks her. "Eat!" she commands.

* * *

Gail plops herself on to Holly's couch and and announces "I am stuffed. My compliments to the chef."

Holly sets the bottle of wine on the end table "Grazie" she says, and then sits down in her leather reading chair.

"Why are you all the way over there?" Gail asks.

"Oh. Uh. … no-no reason." Holly stutters, "I don't know... It's comfortable?"

Gail gives her a look. The "_don't give me that bullshit_" look.

Holly tilts her head. Conceding that her reason is bogus. Gail waits for her to explain herself. Holly takes a deep breath avoiding eye contact. She wipes her hand across her forehead and says, "Ok. Listen, …" But then nothing. She doesn't know how to start.

Gail sits up straight and holds her hands in her lap like she's waiting to be scolded. She feels like she might throw up. Holly looks at her feet and tries desperately to say what she needs to say, but doesn't want to say, but knows she should say, and all she comes up with is a whispered, "Fuck."

* * *

to be continued...


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4** (time lapse between last chapter and this = 10 seconds)

* * *

"I owe you an apology." Holly says, sheepishly looking up at Gail, who is now thoroughly confused.

"Why?" she asks, shaking her head and struggling to think of a reason Holly would need to be apologizing to _her_. Holly, who has only ever been great to her. Gail's brain hangs like a slow loading web page. This does not compute...

"When I came back to the station, to check on you … there in front of … everybody! I – I mean, I just was worried. I wasn't thinking when I grabbed your hand and … I don't know. It was impulsive? Which is weird, cause I'm not, so I don't know why I did it. Except that I was worried about you. And ..." she sighs, bites her bottom lip and continues, "... I guess … Arrgghh, damn-it Gail you make me do the crazy!"

"If anybody should apologize for what happened it should be me, Holly. I blew you off and acted like a colossal jerk."

"No. I never should have expected you to be okay with PDAs. It was stupid." Holly's still avoiding eye contact which makes Gail really nervous.

"Ok, can we forgive each other and agree it was bad timing, all around?" Gail asks.

Holly nods her head, but doesn't say anything. Gail is struggling to understand what this conversation is really about, because it's not about "public displays of affection." But she comes up with nothing, she's clueless. Gail decides to keep her mouth shut and let Holly take whatever time she needs to say what's really on her mind.

Holly finally looks up and says, "You know there's no way people are going to ignore this – us -, right? I mean, all your friends know we hang out. And, yah, some of them might just figure we're buddies, or something …" Holly stops. She looks at Gail hoping she's getting the gist of what she's trying to say, but Gail just raises her eyebrows and shakes her head "no" to indicate she has NO FUCKING IDEA what Holly is trying to say.

"Gail!" Holly quickly continues, flustered and exasperated. "Everybody knows I'm a lesbian. I have been out for over 10 years. I can't go back in the closet now, even if I wanted to. And you can't hang out with me and not expect people to assume you're gay too. Or at the very least, that you've decided to hitch a ride on the Gay Train for a visit to Homo-town before your inevitable return to Hetero-ville."

And there it is. Holly's insecurities on full display.

"Wow." Is all Gail can muster. She picks up her wine glass, which is almost completely full, and guzzles it.

"I'm sorry." Holly says softly. "That came out way different than I meant it to." She hangs her head.

Gail takes a deep breath before she begins. "Ok, first - if you think I am scared of people thinking I'm gay, you really don't know me very well. Second - I never asked you to go back in the closet. And, third - you're train analogy is stupid." Holly nods her head in agreement but doesn't say anything.

Gail continues, "How many straight chicks have you ridden the _gay-train_ with, Holly?"

"Oh lord." Holly mumbles. This is _so_ not how she planned this conversation. She looks at Gail who is staring at her so intensely it's almost funny. _What is that expression?_ Holly wonders. Some strange mixture of jealousy, anger, hurt feelings and bravado all at once? Holly bites her lower lip. Gail keeps staring. She doesn't even blink. Holly adjusts her glasses.

"Too many." she finally says.

"I want names and addresses." Gail states matter of factly.

"What!?"

"Those bitches are going to pay." she says menacingly.

"Gail! Are you insane?"

"Don't worry, I won't _physically_ harm any one."

"That's not even funny," Holly warns.

"Names and last known residence, Holly. C'mon. Do you have a pen and paper handy?"

"I am not giving you any names! You can't be serious." Holly wants to laugh but part of her is not sure Gail is joking.

"So …" Gail says. She pauses as she decides how to proceed. "You have a bad track record with straight chicks, huh?"

"You could say that."

"Let me guess. Your friends have warned you not to get involved with me?"

"Well … yah … something like that ..." Holly finally admits. "They kind of think I'm asking to get my heart broken again and it's my own fault if I do. But in my defense, I can't help it if straight women are attracted to me." Holly shrugs. "I guess, the problem has been, they meet some new guy, and they don't _stay_ attracted to me."

"I don't know." Gail muses. "It must be something else, Holly. Cause I've had lots of dick. And it's not _that_ great. … Maybe you're just not very good in bed."

"GAIL!" Holly is mortified. Gail bursts into a fit of laughter. Holly grabs a pillow off the couch and throws it at her. "I can not believe you just said that!" Gail is still doubled over, laughing so hard tears are streaming down her face. Holly can't resist laughing too.

After finally regaining their composure, Gail turns to Holly and asks "So what do you plan to do, Holl? Are you going to dump me before I dump you?"

Holly is quiet. "I don't know."

Gail shrugs. "It's not a bad strategy. I've used it many times."

"What do you think I should do?" Holly asks.

Gail gets up and walks over to the big, overstuffed leather reading chair and sits in Holly's lap. "I think you should tell your friends to let us figure out _where_ this train is going, and _when_ the train's going to stop, because they don't know. Maybe this train won't ever stop." Gail leans in and kisses Holly who wraps her arms around Gail's waist and murmurs her approval.

* * *

**So, this is all of the story for now. Sure hope you liked it. Thanks for reading! (and thanks to everyone who took time to review it! That's so awesome of you! High fives!) Come visit me on Twitter PrattFalls . xoxo**


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